Unemployment is still rising and currently stands at 2.47 Million or 7.9% of the working population. In the last quarter another 23,000 people found themselves out of work.

Many have been out of work for months already and are still struggling to find a steady source of income and the indication is that things are going to get worse.

For some this has been seen as an opportunity to make life changing decisions and dedicate time and effort into a complete change of direction by pursuing or studying for a new career.

I would always encourage somebody to do whatever it is they want as long as they enjoy it. If you enjoy your work, you will be happier and more productive and therefore more likely to progress further along your chosen career path.

However, with the reality of a global recession in the air one’s decision may be swayed towards the kind of work that could survive through the downturn and a possible/probable future recession.

Throughout this whole financial debacle there have been numerous news stories and articles with tips and advice on what constitutes a recession proof career and more recently trends have been identified that show which sectors currently have the highest demand for staff.

1/ Education – ah, now with the cuts that are coming is this still a safe bet? There are still incentives and a shortage of applicants…

2/ Health and Social Care – Private maybe but public…not so sure.

A quote from 2009 is now somewhat off the mark – “This Government is committed to keeping unemployment down and therefore health, education and social services will continue to hire”.

3/ Social and “green” housing – as above….

4/ Accountants/finance directors/compliance officers – all pretty vital and some courses are very cheap. Woodgrove Tutorials are offering an IAB (International Association of Bookkeepers) course for just £225 – reduced from £350!

5/ Internal audit – a very interesting career choice and certainly in demand but not something that’s easy to get into and could take a long time to qualify. See http://www.theiia.org/

6/ Insurance – always in demand – everyone needs car insurance and buildings & contents but there’s also public liability insurance, income protection insurance, life insurance (which historically does well during recessions).

7/ Credit Control & Purchasing – companies always need to keep money coming in and to find the best prices to reduce money going out.

8/ Energy – everybody needs it and it just keeps going up in price… Research and development into alternative energy options is a huge growth sector.

9/ IT – Still a massive growth sector! Look at the success of the completely pointless iPad!

10/ Public Transport Projects – Oooh, impending spending cuts…?

Predictions and suggestions may not be as appropriate or accurate as they were just a year ago but there are other sources available to help with the decision making process of anyone contemplating a career change.

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